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The Celtic Riddle
(Lara McClintoch Archaeological Mystery #4)
by
The reading of the last will of wealthy Eamon Byrne sets off a murder spree and a treasure hunt in the Irish countryside, and antiques dealer Lara McClintoch is in the middle of the action. Lara’s friend Alex is one of the beneficiaries of the Will, and she is worried he may be on the murderer’s list. The Byrne family is feuding and there are hints of a troubled past. Lara
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ebook, Second, 231 pages
Published
July 17th 2013
by Bev Editions
(first published December 1st 2000)
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Start your review of The Celtic Riddle (Lara McClintoch Archeological Mystery, #4)
This series keeps getting better with each book. Th author continues to introduce new characters and develops them well. This particular installment took place in Ireland and is infused with history and lore of the land. While this is a series, do not feel as if you must read from the start. While there is familiarity of characters, the author does a pretty good job of mini-introductions so the new reader is not in the dark.
I read this when I was a kid and loved it. Reading it again, I realize that it's still very awesome and amazing! I love the nostalgia.
The plot is great, the mystery is wonderful, the characters are flawed and lovable. The only problem I have is how almost easily the find the clues. They just found the local fisherman/historian and voila! clues! but it's still an awesome journey. ...more
The plot is great, the mystery is wonderful, the characters are flawed and lovable. The only problem I have is how almost easily the find the clues. They just found the local fisherman/historian and voila! clues! but it's still an awesome journey. ...more
Lyn Hamilton is just such a good writer!!!!
Fantastic!
Kept reading (this is the 4th in a series), hoping Hamilton would get better. Alas, she never did. Wanted to like her so much, as she is a friend of a friend.
A very entertaining story well worth reading for the Irish lore, archeology, description, and interesting characters. One star off for a preposterous plot.
Lara travels to Ireland with friends to attend a will reading and is caught up in a deadly game of treasure hunting. They follow clues and solve a puzzle while trying to solve the increasing slate of murders. Filled with lots of Irish details and told in Lara's distinctive voice, it's a very enjoyable novel.
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I enjoyed the setting and the 'riddle' but felt that Lara should have figured out who the murderer was quite a bit earlier. Still, a fun read and I will most likely read more books from the series.
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Antiques dealer Lara McClintoch can't seem to keep out of trouble. What should have been a simple trip to Ireland, to support a friend who is receiving an unexpected inheritance, sees McClintoch enmeshed in family drama, murder and mayhem.
This is the second of Lyn Hamilton's books that I have read and, as with The Xibalba Murders, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Hamilton's characters are complex, entertaining and believable -- as are the situations in which she places them.
It is always hard to review a ...more
This is the second of Lyn Hamilton's books that I have read and, as with The Xibalba Murders, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Hamilton's characters are complex, entertaining and believable -- as are the situations in which she places them.
It is always hard to review a ...more
Apr 21, 2017
Aprilleigh
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2020-reads,
kindle-ibooks
Every time I read this volume I like it more. The Celtic legends are fascinating, and I need to see if I can find one of the resources she mentioned in the author's note at the end of the book. The riddle was well-designed in some ways, and not so much in others, leaving a lot of head-scratching trying to figure out how they found some of the second set of clues.
My only problem is with the character of Padraig - his last outing with 18-year-old Jennifer resulted in her setting him straight when ...more
My only problem is with the character of Padraig - his last outing with 18-year-old Jennifer resulted in her setting him straight when ...more
Toronto antiques dealer and amateur sleuth, Lara McClinton, accompanies a co-worker to Ireland for the reading of the will of an eccentric businessman, who gives his family clues from an ancient Celtic poem that will lead to a great treasure. The treasure hunt turns deadly and Lara can’t resist the opportunity to try and catch the killes.
The reading group rated this book 4.
The group liked the book. They all had trouble following the clues to finding the treasure. They were all surprised to learn ...more
The reading group rated this book 4.
The group liked the book. They all had trouble following the clues to finding the treasure. They were all surprised to learn ...more
At first I thought that it would be difficult to read this book - not in the sense that it was challenging to understand, but the chapters were long so I worried that I would have a hard time getting into it. I was wrong. I quickly got into this book and the story/mystery of it. I didnt even predict the ending! It was a great little mystery and I have a huge love for Irish things so the two went hand in hand brilliantly for me. :)
I fell in love with Lyn Hamilton's series recently except for this one. It hardly seemed to have been in the same series. I don't know why, but this was simply boring, dull, and dry as dust. I detested all of the characters and the whole story and had to force myself to read the whole thing. I tried to be fair by reading it all but it was a trial. I do NOT recommend this.
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With this busy month, it took over a month to read Lyn's 4th book. Enjoyed it very much and am curious about her other books, which ones are worth looking into, are they just as interesting as this one....
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The Celtic Riddle, by Lyn Hamilton is a challenging acrhaeological mystery filled with twists and turns, colorful descriptions of characters and Celtic myth. I found it to be successfully well-written and absorbing from the start to the finish.
Love all of Lyn's books.
I enjoyed the Irish countryside in this one and the puzzles that the protagonist has to unravel. ...more
I enjoyed the Irish countryside in this one and the puzzles that the protagonist has to unravel. ...more
Ennh. Too much feisty female detectives. Too much feistiness. Tiresome. Dublin was cool, but not all that. It was just too, too nutty.
Have read all of her archeological mysteries and look forward to more. I like that the main character is realistic and not irritating in any way.
Great story from a Canadian author. Interesting note about this book - it was used as the basis for one of the Murder She Wrote made for TV movies that aired after the series was over.
This is the second time I have read this book. It was an enjoyable mystery set in Ireland with some Irish folk history included.
We read this novel recently for our book club. I really enjoyed it and read it in a weekend. Most of us said it was welcome escapism. The characters were well described and the plot was interesting, with the red herrings and coincidences common for this genre. We liked the twist that clues were purposely left for others to solve the mystery.
It was my first time to read a book written by this author. After looking for her other books from the library, I saw that she weaves archaeology and ancien ...more
It was my first time to read a book written by this author. After looking for her other books from the library, I saw that she weaves archaeology and ancien ...more
I enjoy this series.
Note: I used togive full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies (GR Authors' Feedback), the big five publishers (Big Five Publishers). So, because of these policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publis ...more
Note: I used togive full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies (GR Authors' Feedback), the big five publishers (Big Five Publishers). So, because of these policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publis ...more
The Celtic Riddle is the 4th book in the Lara McClintoch series, whilst the first two books weren't that great the third book, The Moche Warrior was a substantial improvement and I was pleased to find that this continued on that trend. It was also vastly better than the first two books even if the whole idea of a treasure hunt in a will was a bit trite.
The mystery aspect nonetheless is well done dropping ample clues along the way to the reader that lead down various paths but ultimately do not e ...more
The mystery aspect nonetheless is well done dropping ample clues along the way to the reader that lead down various paths but ultimately do not e ...more
I thought I had read another in this series, but I guess not. When Alex gets summoned to Ireland for the reading of a will, Lara McClintoch tags along, with Rob and Jennifer, too. The will reading includes a video recorded by the deceased shortly before he died, and his bequests are a bit baffling. Nothing is more baffling, though, than his riddle scheme, wherein he gives each family member (and Alex) a clue to the riddle and they must all work together to solve it and potentially find a relic o
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This is the 3rd Hamilton book (archaeology) that I've read...and the first one I'm keeping for myself. I gave away the ones about Budapest and Malta to friends who have been there, because the descriptions of place are so good. And I've BEEN to Ireland (twice), as well as read a lot about the Irish, so I really enjoyed this one.
Not very linked to archaeological work (neither was Malta), and sometimes tough to follow all the people in the story, but fun to read. When I've been to the places she n ...more
Not very linked to archaeological work (neither was Malta), and sometimes tough to follow all the people in the story, but fun to read. When I've been to the places she n ...more
Excellent 4th book in Lyn Hamilton's Lara McClintoch Archaeological Mystery series. This book, set in Ireland, is not only a mystery but is a puzzle mystery which makes it that much better. I loved some of the Irish characters, especially Kev, Malachy and Denny. Denny's stories were wonderful and really added to the book, as did the Irish superstitions and culture. I will say that the Irish pronunciations took me some time to master but it was well worth it.
I would recommend this book for myster ...more
I would recommend this book for myster ...more
Lara McClintoch is at the reading of the will of her friend Alex, who unexpectedly inherits an Irish cottage on the Dingle Peninsula. In his will, the deceased also intimates a hunt for a valuable treasure. The most engaging parts of the book are the references to Celtic mythology, some of which are tied up with clues in the hunt. However, the plot does not make much sense and Lara is not a character that can carry a series.
Like the other book by Hamilton that I picked up at the book exchange, this has an archaeological bent to it, which (as someone who wanted to be an archaeologist) I quite like to see in a mystery. It's also got a clever puzzle based on a poem. At the same time, I found myself somewhat unsatisfied with this book too. I felt the author gets too wrapped up in preparing over-intricate puzzles and the murder solutions are not particularly conducive to suspension of disbelief.
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Lara McClintoch, the co-owner of an antiques store in Toronto, accompanies her employee to County Kerry, Ireland, for the reading of a will. Her employee and friend, Alex, is bequeathed Rose Cottage by the wealthy Eamon Bryne, who also set up a riddle for his family and friends to solve. Lar and Alex follow the clues, but are followed by deaths at every turn.
Clever riddle for puzzle enthusiasts, interesting characters and history as well.
Clever riddle for puzzle enthusiasts, interesting characters and history as well.
Because I’m part Irish I found parts of this book entertaining – also liked them having a tortoise for a pet (I mostly felt sorry for it confined to living with people in a small estate!). The book was ok --- read it in a short while liked how the deceased left a Riddle for those who had clues to find a true treasure but…………just seemed to be missing a lot you needed to really enjoy the book!
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Lyn Elizabeth Hamilton was a Canadian author of archaeological mystery novels.
She worked in communications in the public service and private companies before publishing her first novel at the age of 50. She had been director of Cultural Programs Branch for the province of Ontario and director of public affairs for the Canadian Opera Company. Later, Hamilton taught mystery writing for the School fo ...more
She worked in communications in the public service and private companies before publishing her first novel at the age of 50. She had been director of Cultural Programs Branch for the province of Ontario and director of public affairs for the Canadian Opera Company. Later, Hamilton taught mystery writing for the School fo ...more
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Lara McClintoch Archaeological Mystery
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